“Yes, it’s Mateta” or “Mateta all in Milan”: the priority of the Italian sports newspapers is quite obvious this Saturday. From Gazzetta dello Sport to Corriere dello Sport, the transalpine media announce an agreement between the French international and AC Milan for a transfer before the end of the winter transfer window.
With just over four months until the 2026 World Cup, Jean-Philippe Mateta could become the fifth Blue in the current Rossoneri squad. The Italian media are talking about a transaction worth 35 million euros, including bonuses, to snatch the 28-year-old striker from Crystal Palace. A little less than the 37 million euros which had allowed the Milanese to attract Christopher Nkunku a year earlier.
An offer from Nottingham
In Lombardy, Mike Maignan, Youssouf Fofana and Adrien Rabiot make up the rest of the French delegation. Another positive signal for this potential transfer: the Ile-de-France native was not selected for Sunday’s match with his English team at Nottingham Forest. “We need every player to be at their best and JP is not at its best at the moment with all the noise around it,” explained Oliver Glasner. In such a situation, “it makes no sense to play him,” according to the Austrian Eagles coach.
The 28-year-old striker is coming off the last two successful seasons with Crystal Palace, which earned him the opportunity to play in the 2024 Olympic Games and then his first selection with Didier Deschamps’ Blues in October 2025. According to the British press, Nottingham Forest and AC Milan made offers to Crystal Palace to recruit the center forward before the close of the winter transfer window on Monday evening.
